A resource for small business owners and startups looking to fund their business.

Traditional Loans

A traditional loan is a bank loan, pure and simple. But often there’s nothing simple about acquiring one of these loans, even if you go through the Small Business Administration. Below you’ll find videos, case studies, links and experts who can guide you to the resources that can help you get a bank loan.

Alternative Loans

Alternative loans cover a broad array of business loan options available to start-ups and existing businesses that fall outside of a traditional bank loan. Alternative loans are in demand for one major reason—increasingly, company decision-makers cannot obtain a traditional bank loan.

Startup Funding

While startups may use many different strategies to grow, each approach has one common denominator: funding. Simply put, it can be extremely difficult for your startup to scale effectively without money. So how exactly do you go about obtaining funding? And how do you decide what funding options are best for your company? This guide will help answer these questions and more.

Crowdfunding

Hundreds of online crowdfunding platforms give entrepreneurs a medium to set up their campaigns in a number of ways. From securities-based crowdfunding to rewards-based crowdfunding, small business owners can create an engaged community of continued customers. So, the question is: where do small business owners begin?

A traditional loan is a bank loan, pure and simple. But often there’s nothing simple about acquiring one of these loans, even if you go through the Small Business Administration. Below you’ll find videos, case studies, links and experts who can guide you to the resources that can help you get a bank loan.

Alternative loans cover a broad array of business loan options available to start-ups and existing businesses that fall outside of a traditional bank loan. Alternative loans are in demand for one major reason—increasingly, company decision-makers cannot obtain a traditional bank loan.

While startups may use many different strategies to grow, each approach has one common denominator: funding. Simply put, it can be extremely difficult for your startup to scale effectively without money. So how exactly do you go about obtaining funding? And how do you decide what funding options are best for your company? This guide will help answer these questions and more.

Hundreds of online crowdfunding platforms give entrepreneurs a medium to set up their campaigns in a number of ways. From securities-based crowdfunding to rewards-based crowdfunding, small business owners can create an engaged community of continued customers. So, the question is: where do small business owners begin?

Private Capital Access Studies

Dun & Bradstreet has partnered with Pepperdine University to create a set of indexes that bring new business insights to those interested in business growth and funding. The Private Capital Access (PCA) Index is a quarterly indicator produced by the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University and Dun & Bradstreet. Released for the first time in late summer 2012, the purpose of the PCA Index is to gauge small and medium-sized businesses’ financing needs, the level of accessibility to funding and/or private capital, and the transparency and efficiency of private financing markets.

The Fourth Quarter Pepperdine Private Capital Access Survey, produced in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., shows that private capital access increased by 3.2%, up from Q3 and up from fourth quarter 2013. Private capital demand is also up compared to Q3, increasing 3.8%, but is still lower than Q4, 2013. Unchanged from Q3 is that 42% of respondents report that the current business environment is restricting their ability to hire new employees.

The Third Quarter Pepperdine Private Capital Access Survey, produced in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., shows that private capital access decreased by less than one percent in the quarter. However, private demand for capital decreased 6.2% over the same period, with 42% of respondents claiming the current businesses environment is restricting their growth opportunities. But it’s not all dreary: Nearly 60% of businesses that sought funding applied for a bank loan. Of those, over 50% were successful, indicating that traditional lenders may be easing restrictions.

The Second Quarter Pepperdine Private Capital Access Survey, produced in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., shows that private capital access increased 2.3% compared to three months ago. However, private demand for capital decreased 3.7% over the same period, with 48% of respondents claiming the current businesses environment is restricting their growth opportunities.

In a survey of small and mid-sized business, the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project 2014 Economic Forecast shows that business owners are optimistic about growth opportunities, both nationally and personally, for the remainder of 2014. More than half of respondents (56 percent) are more confident about business growth prospects compared to a year ago.

The most recent Private Capital Access (PCA) survey, produced quarterly by Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, shows a marked increase in the number of business that are acquiring funding in Q1 of 2014. Though access to capital is still limited, more businesses of all sizes are attaining needed capital.

The nation’s smallest businesses reported a greater interest in accessing capital during Q4 to expand their business, a signal that they are optimistic about market conditions and their growth potential leading into 2014, according to the Q4 2013 Private Capital Access (PCA) study from Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management.

In the Q3 Private Capital Access (PCA) Index report, produced quarterly by Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, the nation’s small businesses report an improved ability to access capital. In the meantime, the demand for capital slid, with small businesses reporting less need for financing compared to earlier in the year.

The most recent Private Capital Access (PCA) Q2 Index report, produced quarterly by Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, shows tight credit markets continue to hamper growth at the smallest US companies — those with less than $500,000 in revenue — even during the weeks leading into small business month, the month of May. These small firms make up roughly 91% of U.S. companies.

U.S. small business owners experienced a reduction in hiring and a decrease in demand for capital in quarter four of 2012 and quarter one of 2013, according to the most recent Private Capital Access (PCA) Index report, a private capital markets data survey produced quarterly by Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, in partnership with Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp.

Business owners are cautious, and their demand for financing, plans for growth, and expected hiring are all down. At the same time, financial institutions seem to be pulling back on their lending efforts. Both sides of this may be looking at the fiscal cliff and feeling good times are too far in the future to take action in the immediate next few months.

Second quarter survey results revealed that 75% of respondents report the current business environment as difficult to raise new business financing and only 44% of those who applied for business loan from a bank were successful. The research also shows that many small business owners are tapping into their personal assets to fill financing gaps with 41% of business owners saying they transferred personal assets to their business over the last 6 months.With all of the stimulus efforts and concentration on increasing access to capital, the question is why are small businesses still struggling?

Nearly 6,000 small business owners across the United States responded to 25 questions about their access to capital. These findings reveal that the tight credit market continues to impact economic recovery. Demand for credit is growing, but the supply is not meeting the demand. Business owners are increasingly looking to unconventional financing options to grow their business, and in some cases, they are putting their expansion plans on hold altogether.